Obstacle-aware resource allocation in business processes

Abstract

This paper presents an approach for allocating resources to Business Processes (BPs) so that obstacles preventing the execution of these BPs are mitigated. Resources include persons and machines who could be the origins of obstacles due to unexpected call-in-sick and sudden breakdown, for example. The approach uses a log that tracks past obstacles along with their undesirable impacts - time, cost, and quality - on BP execution. Estimating the likelihood occurrence of an obstacle is built-upon this log so that preventive and/or corrective measures are taken. An implementation of the approach is also presented in the paper.